Gingerly Guessing
by C.Reverie
Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court.
1. Chapter 1

**_Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court._**

_Pairing: Undecided_

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**Notice**:  
Revamped version of Gingerly Guessing. There will be changes- both big and small- to the text.

* * *

Prologue

* * *

"_Ugh, no. I'll pass," the ravenette said as she glared down at the ball she held before looking back at the figure across from her. She stared into dark red eyes she often saw when she came to school. As of late, however, she had been seeing less and less of them. After a moment, she heaved a sigh and let the ball bounce over to her friend. "Just like I told them, there's nothing to worry about, because it's really not what it looks like. I promise you it's not what it looks like, Sei-kun."_

_The them she referred to were her group of girlfriends. It seemed one or two of the three had let it spill to the guy across of her about her 'abusive, two-timing boyfriend,' as they often ended up putting it. So, here she stood, talking about the topic of Inuyasha as she tried not to think back to their most recent argument, which had been a mix of him complaining about how she got in the way and him fighting over her coming back. She supposed the bruises and cuts she had received from fighting demons on that day didn't do much to prove her argument in this case. They were healing up, but some were still bad enough to take note of. She sighed and tugged her shorts a bit further down her leg to hide the white bandage that covered a near-healed gash._

_She was thankful for the empty gym around the two of them. Though, she did have some complaints about getting pulled here after brushing off the conversation topic three times already whenever he brought it up. The school day was over already, and she was set to return to the past tomorrow morning, now that she had finished her tests, and she needed to prepare to head back. She turned on her heel and started on her way to the gym doors, only to freeze when a hand took her by her wrist to hold her in place. She held back her sigh and slowly turned to meet his stare once again._

"_Wait."_

_She rose an eyebrow at the request, more so wondering what she was supposed to wait for. This conversation should have been wrapped up already with her words alone, so why did it keep going on? She didn't want to keep talking. It was hard enough to keep her time-traveling a secret. She didn't need to keep talking about things that correlated directly to it._

"_No! I really need to get going, Sei-kun" she snapped at him. "I've told you there's nothing to worry about, and I mean it! I have things I need to do, and standing here repeating the same things over and over doesn't help." She tugged her wrist out of his suddenly loose grip with a huff as she stepped away. She hated how frustrating some of the boys could be… "I'll see you later," she stated as she turned once again and stormed towards the exit and out of the gym before she could be stopped by someone else._

_She hated having to lie to her friends, but she couldn't tell them the truth. It made interacting with them so difficult. She knew that all the illnesses that were made up to hide the truth did cause them to worry. The way her mother would tell her that they'd visit, sometimes more than three times weekly, when she was gone only made her feel __**worse**_ _about it._

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x**_

"_Oh! Hello again," Kun-Loon greeted the tall classmate of her daughter with a gentle smile on her face. She stepped out of the way and gave him enough room to enter the building before closing the door and waving him further inside and towards the kitchen. "You must be here to see Kagome, but…" The silence caused the boy to look at the kind woman. "I'm sorry, but she isn't in any state to have visitors."_

"_Gome-chin… is she okay?"_

"_It's nothing serious," Kun-Loon shook her head as she resumed her place at the stove to stir the soup she had been making. "Just the flu. Poor things… Souta and Kagome both have it," she said then. "She'll be about to head back to school as soon as she gets better."_

_Murasakibara watched the woman for a moment, but she didn't say much else as she focused on the pot on the stove more intently than before. Her posture looked tense, and she looked as though she hadn't been sleeping properly. She put the soup on the lowest heat possible and went to retrieve some bowls from the cabinet. _

"_Would you like to stay for lunch?" she asked him, turning slightly and waiting for his answer. There was a smile on her face as she went ahead and got a bowl for him, as well, even before he had answered. He had visited her enough for her to know what his response would be by now, after all._

_It wasn't Kagome's cooking, but… it still reminded him of her style. Perhaps it was because this woman had taught his friend how to cook…_

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x**_

_How embarrassing…_

_Kagome sat on the bed with a warm glow awash on her face. She avoided looking at the boy sitting in the chair next to her as the school's nurse brought her a bottle of water._

"_Take it easy from here on out, Higurashi-san," the woman said as she gave the schoolgirl the water. "You could have gotten seriously injured if not for Aomine-san being there to catch you."_

_Again, she felt the need to repeat the thought._

_**How embarrassing…**_

_Her lack of rest the prior night due to her all-nighter of studying had resulted in her falling down the stairs when heading up them to go to class. She was thankful that she had her friend there, walking up them with her because he had been able to catch her fast enough and even tote her to the infirmary. She refused to meet his stare since she had woken up, however, because she felt like she continued to inconvenience him with her current state. It was quiet as she sipped her water and nibbled on the apple slices that had been given to her._

_The memory of getting called a burden by Inuyasha flared to life in her head, and she found that it seemed to apply here, too. In the past, and even in her modern school life, she was a burden to her friends, it seemed. At the time, he should have been at practice, but he was here because she hadn't taken care of herself. _

_She felt him watching her, but she refused to meet his stare. She couldn't handle looking at him- not now, at least._

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x**_

_The jewel had finally gotten completed, and she was finally able to resume her school career. Her third year of at Teiko was almost over, and she busied herself in raising her suffering grades so they were passable. Her spare time, when she had any, went to spending time with her family and three girlfriends. Even that was rare, though._

"_Kago-chan!"_

_Kagome blinked as she removed a book from her desk, turning only slightly to spot the pinkette staring at her with her hands on her hips. There was a pout on her lips. "Ah… Satsuki-chan. Is there something I can help you with?"_

"_Can you come help with the guys today?" she asked her. "I'm sure they would like the chance to talk and, y'know, actually __**see**_ _you."_

_Kagome glanced down at her book before declining the idea. "I don't have time, sorry," she told her. "I need to study for the tests tomorrow. I'll try to stop by later."_

_She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's what you always say, but you never actually come to see anyone."_

"_Because I need to work on my grades," she responded, once again holding the book up to underline her words. "Yuka-chan offered to help me study, and I don't want to make her wait."_

_Though those had been her words, she still found herself walking slowly towards the gym. She would sometimes go to the area but never actually step foot inside. It had been so long since she had spoken to any of them, and she figured they would be fed up with her by now._

_She came to a halt outside the double doors and peeked inside to check on them. She went unnoticed standing there. At least, she believed she was unnoticed. She saw some familiar faces, and a few people she expected to see weren't visible to her._

_A basketball rolled off the court and over towards where she was standing. It hit her foot, and someone from inside the gym went to retrieve it. She recognized the face, and she gently kicked the ball back into the gym before turning on her heel and continuing on her way to meet up with Yuka._

_She bowed her head a bit when she felt the pressure of a stare on her departing back. A part of her was thankful that they hadn't come after her._

* * *

C.R: A small bit of editing was done to this, mostly fixing some parts up.

I still don't have a decided pairing for this. However, I'm mainly considering between Akashi and Aomine. Those are the ones I'm teetering between. Though, since I'm undecided, different suggestions are more than welcome. I'll consider them.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed it!

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you.

Bye for now~


	2. Chapter 2

**_Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court._**

_Pairing: Undecided_

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**Notice**:  
Revamped version of Gingerly Guessing. There will be changes- both big and small- to the text.

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

It had been several months since the well sealed up for good. It put an effective end to her time traveling, and it allowed her to return to the side of her life that had been desperately calling for her attention- her school life. It was a major understatement to say that her grades suffered a few complications when her attention was split between studying and vying for her life in a world ridden with demons. Her poor grades had suffered tremendously during her time of seeking out jewel shards, and reviving them from their utterly appalling state had taken every ounce of her capability.

Whenever she attempted to look back at her final months at Teiko she got struck by a strong wave of sadness. Some of her strongest friendships had died relatively easily, and it was due to her drawing back and away from them. It felt as though a literal wall had been built between her and them, and the guys she would once play basketball with and spoil with treats and goodies had become people she didn't know how to even approach. The girl who she had been then, the girl they had known and became friends with didn't even exist anymore. She had been eradicated by what lurked on the other end of the well. She had become someone else entirely.

She felt bad over how the distance between them continued to grow as she continued to push herself away. The action she had started to do unintentionally only became stronger and more consistent with each passing day. She never gave an explanation as to why she had pushed herself away, and, by now, she felt that any she could give wouldn't be good enough. The longer she mulled over it, she began to consider it to be for the best. If things were this way, then she would never have to worry about spilling her secrets to them.

Maybe it was for the best that they went their separate ways and left those days in the past.

… Even though she thought those words to herself, she couldn't find the strength in her to believe them- not even a single bit. Truth be told, she didn't want to let those bonds slip away like water slipping through her fingers. She was hesitant on reaching out to them again, however. During those last few months, she had countless chances to speak with them, yet she had neglected every single one. They had never come to her, either, and she had taken that as them giving up and allowing their friendship and connection to end. The longer she kept putting it off, the more hesitant she grew of going to see them.

Even if she wanted to repair the damaged bond between them, she wasn't even certain of how to go through with it. It didn't exactly seem easy, after all.

"_**Perhaps it's better off this way"**_ she kept telling herself on repeat, but her regret sang a different tune completely...

* * *

Her high school career was creeping closer and closer, and Kagome was doing everything she could to put herself into the proper mindset. She was forcing herself to let go of her past trips, burying those days deep in her mind so they did not loom over her like an ominous cloud.

It did not surprise her much, but her girlfriends and she had chosen different schools to attend. During their moments together, they each had spoken of the school they had their hearts set on. Yuka had devoted herself to getting into Rakuzan, while Ayumi had decided on Kaijo, and Eri had made her choice with Shutoku. As the starting date of school got closer, they had made a promise to keep in touch so they could exchange details on their ever-changing lives.

She let her eyes roam to land on the figure seated across from her. While he acted like he wasn't paying her any attention, she could tell that he was focused on her, even if he wasn't looking at her direction. He was alert to her actions and noises, and a tiny smile slipped onto her features.

Kagome had answered her friend's questions as to why she had chosen the school she had, and she encouraged her friends that her logic was the same as theirs: She favored the academics and the campus the school had. She knew that was a lie, though. From where she sat now, her crystal blue eyes focused on the long-haired man typing away on his laptop, she knew what her main reasons were. Perhaps it was wrong of her to choose solely based on him being there, but she couldn't find the will to care. A cheeky grin replaced her smile and she drummed her fingertips along the table's surface. His eyes narrowed at the quiet, intrusive sound.

"Ne, Nii-chan," she started, balancing her chin on the back of her sun-kissed hand. His posture tensed at the affectionate nickname she had given him, and, once she knew she had his complete attention, she continued, "to be honest, I never thought of you as the type to teach."

"Hn."

The simple noise was weighed down by annoyance and irritation at her words. She knew that he held conflicted emotions on her nickname for him. She also knew that if he was truly bothered by it, he would have found a way to put an end to it long ago, and that was how she knew that he didn't truly hate hearing it. Their bond had gotten stronger due to their allegiance in the past. He tolerated her more than he did others from then, and she was glad for that.

"When will you cease with that ridiculous nickname?" he asked, closing his eyes and turning his head away from her as her grin got wider.

"If you hate it so much, why don't you just kill me to quiet me?" she asked, a laugh spilling through in her words. A second later he looked at her with a smirk highlighting his usually cold features.

"Believe me, the idea has presented itself to me on numerous occasions," he admitted. "My willpower is exceptional- considering you are still alive and well."

She snickered and lowered her hands so she could intertwine her fingers in her lap.

"However, I imagine I might miss your annoying attitude should I actually get rid of you," he admitted then as an afterthought. A wide grin spread across her face at those words. "I've become far too used to you. It's truly horrifying."

She rolled her eyes then. "Yeah, that happens a lot. I draw everyone to me- it's insane."

"I've noticed that," he said. "Such an entrancing personality is a gift and curse, depending on who you ask."

Much to his surprise, she nodded in agreement as her tone soured a bit. "You're telling me…" she muttered. In her past, she had pulled many people to her, and not all of them were good in the slightest- even in modern time. Just like good people, terrible ones were drawn to her, too.

Making a sound judgement to move on from the subject at hand, Sesshoumaru turned back to her. "I trust you are prepared for the start of the school year?"

"Mm," she nodded her head before holding up her uniform. "I picked up my uniform on the way here." Kagome glanced back at him before cocking her head to the side. "How about you? Are you ready for a new herd of insolent brats?"

"Of course, of course," Sesshoumaru grumbled under his breath. "I already know you're going to be one of them." He huffed in agitation at the thought of having the stubborn miko as one of his students. The thought alone was enough for him to consider quitting his job at the school right then and there. "Are there any clubs you are anticipating on joining?"

Kagome fell silent at that question before she gave a quick shrug of her shoulders. "I… don't know. Maybe something simple like cooking. Archery is always an option, too, if they even have a club for it. You know, play to my natural strengths." Her tone was sullen as she said those words, and it attracted his attention instantly.

He looked her posture over before meeting her eyes again. "It's my opinion that you should think about stepping out of that comfort zone you have. At the very least, it will serve to make things much more interesting for us both." Sesshoumaru shut his laptop before standing and looking down at the curious girl still sitting at the white metal cafe table. "I will be seeing you around, Miko."

Her curious expression slipped away as she watched his departing figure. Before long, a cold glare appeared on her face. She stood up from the table and grabbed her bag before turning on her heel and marching away from the cafe she had been at.

Sometimes she really hated Sesshoumaru for all that he was worth- which, incidentally, was quite a bit, but she couldn't say that the feeling was always there. Most days she felt a sense of peace with him. He was one of the only people remaining from her past that she knew was still around. He had told her that Shippo and Koga were still around, as well, but they were often busy elsewhere, and that they didn't have time for her.

She suspected that to be a massive lie on his part, and that he just refused to give in and tell the two where she was. She anticipated seeing them soon, though, as they would eventually come to meet up with her again, and she was happy to think she would be able to see them again after time had changed them so much.

She made her way down the sidewalk, the bag holding her school uniform draped over one arm. It was still early in the day, but she had settled on heading back home due to her lack of things to do. She crossed the street at a crosswalk and took a shortcut to avoid the crowd of people still out and about.

She had only been walking for a minute or two before something hard collided with the top of her head. A loud yelp came from her in a mix of surprise and pain, and she began a search for what had hit her. Her expression went blank at spotting the orange ball setting against a vending machine. The mere sight of it brought back a herd of memories, and her heart panged in her chest at the wave of them. It didn't last long before the look on her face soon twisted into an annoyed scowl at recalling how she had gotten hit on the head by it. She scooped the ball up and took to looking for where it had come from. She didn't have to look for long before she came across a basketball court that had a few guys on it near her in age. They seemed to be looking for something, and she bet it was the ball now held in her hands.

Kagome came to a halt at the entrance and called out to the trio.

"Oi!" Her voice was loud, and it rang clear through the area. It caught their attention, and, one-by-one, they turned to face her. She held the ball up, silently questioning if it was theirs with the single action. One held his hands up and waited for her to toss it at him, but, in that instance, she was struck by a different idea altogether.

Sure- it had been a long time since she had last participated in the sport, but there was something she wanted to test.

She neglected giving them the ball as they seemed to think she would do, and she instead dribbled it a few times before fixing her posture into one fit for shooting. She focused on the net with an accurate eye. When she finally released the ball, it sailed through the air and fell through the net with flawless precision. A genuine smile lifted her lips at hearing the surprised cries of the boys on the court.

It was interesting, she had to say. The stance she had used was arguably similar to the stance she would take when firing arrows at targets, though just slightly modified for shooting a basketball. She found it neat, honestly. She turned her attention back to the three watching her before shrugging and combing her fingers through her long hair.

"Keep better track of that thing," she called out to them, letting her smile drip off her face and get replaced by a small scowl. "I got hit on the head by it." She bent forward just enough to pick her bag back up and drape it back over her arm. Before she left, she looked back at them, winking at them as she finally dashed away before any of them could approach her.

Even as they called out to her, she didn't slow her pace any and she had soon gotten far away from them.

A content smile appeared on her features as she walked. It had been so long since she had shot a basketball- the last time being in the Teiko gymnasium as she played with her old friends. She missed it, admittedly. Not just playing with them, but playing in general. She had to completely put it behind her once she started diving into the past as her priorities shone through her pastimes.

Her thoughts slowly went back to Sesshoumaru's parting words to her, and a scowl replaced her smile.

What was the point in investing yourself in something new when you already had a good idea at what your strengths were?

She could cook and she was good at archery- granted that was solely due to her getting pulled down the well. She probably would have never bothered with it otherwise.

Kagome let out a sigh as she finally made it back to the shrine, starting up the steps as she continued to mull over his words. She tried to shake them off, but she found herself unable to do so. As she got to the final step she forcefully shook her head to clear her mind of it.

As she got closer to the front door, a familiar aura caused her to stutter in her steps. Her expression went blank as she opened the door and stepped in. The faint voices in the distance could be heard, and Kagome placed the bag holding her uniform on the table closest to her.

"I'm home!" she called out as she set her shoes next to the others. Before she could take another step, a figure she hadn't seen in a while peeked his head in to look for her.

"Kawaii-chan! About time you got home."

Her cheeks tinged pink at the affection-laced nickname, but she made her way towards him without waiting.

"Reo," she smiled up at him, only to let out a quiet squeak when her cousin tugged her against his chest. "I had no idea you were coming for a visit," she managed out afterward.

"I wanted to surprise you, so I told Auntie not to say anything," he said, pulling away and looking at her with a broad smile on his face. "You're as cute as ever!" Their eyes met, blue clashing against green as she stumbled over something to say in response.

She had nothing, and she let out a mute sigh after thinking over it for so long.

At least this was a nice surprise...

* * *

C.R: A new chapter for this is in the works. I'm not sure how long it'll be before I post it, but it's being worked on.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed!

Please remember to Reivew&Favorite&Follow, thank you.

Bye for now~


	3. Chapter 3

**_Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court._**

_Pairing: Undecided_

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**Notice**:  
Revamped version of Gingerly Guessing. There will be changes- both big and small- to the text.

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Her cousin's sudden visit had definitely surprised her, but she found it pleasant nonetheless. Due to their closeness in age, they had always been able to get along with minimal issues or disagreements. Even if there was any, it would always get worked through relatively quickly.

The den was occupied by just them as they sat down. It had been some time since she had last seen him, the last time dating back to before she got pulled down the well. She was relieved to see that he hadn't changed much, and he still looked like the boy she had grown up with.

"So," he began, crossing his legs and lacing his fingers together on his lap as he looked at her. "I was told you decided to attend Toou?" His statement came out as a question, and she could tell that he was seeking confirmation from her.

"Ah… yeah," Kagome nodded. "It seems like a great school."

"Hmph," Reo made a quiet noise in response, and she looked back at him in curiosity. "And here I was hoping you'd go to Rakuzan so we could be at the same school."

She looked at him with a dry smile flashing across her features. "I considered it," she admitted then. She had bounced between several different schools in her search for one to shoot for, but, in the end, Toou had been the one she settled on. "I sorta just decided on Toou after thinking it over."

"Well, I'm not happy about it," he stated then, his expression turning into a pout that coaxed a laugh out of her. "You could have stayed with me if you picked Rakuzan! It'd be like when we used to have sleepovers."

She laughed harder at that, unable to stop herself. "That'd be a nightmare," she said as she pulled herself back together.

He flicked his hand in a dismissive wave as he brushed those words off. "Our sleepovers were always the best."

"Yeah, if you count you making me your personal little makeover doll as the best," she retorted sarcastically. He looked at her and pouted again as she continued to speak. "You always did my hair, nails, and makeup. You'd even put me in dresses."

"That's because you were so cute!" Reo defended. "Anyway..." he held his hands out to her, requesting for her to place her own in his hands. She did, and he squeezed them as a smile bloomed on his face. "How have you been?" he asked. "Auntie said you haven't been getting sick as much anymore. Is that true?"

"Oh…" she blinked a few times before she forced herself to nod. "I- Yeah, I've been feeling great for a while now." She saw his smile widen at those words.

"Great!" he tugged her to him some and pulled her against his chest in a warm hug, squeezing tight. "You always had me worried to death whenever you got bad," he said. "Not being able to see you didn't help, either."

A small pang of guilt could be felt through her chest, and she gave a forced smile. "It was pretty awful all around," she said then.

She hid her guilt well, even though she could feel it creeping through her continuously. She felt awful for having to lie like this. Not just to her friends, but to her family as well. The only ones who knew of her trips were her mother, brother, and grandfather. Of course, so did her ancient companions that survived through the five-hundred years, but that was a completely different group. Kagome tightened her grip on Reo's hands and sighed under her breath.

She hated this secret.

"I have an idea," he said, and she looked back up at him, startled out of her thoughts. Kagome tilted her head to the side and waited for him to go on. Reo continued once he was sure her attention was placed on him. "Let's go out of a little while," he suggested. "It's still early, after all. We can catch up while we do some walking around."

Kagome blinked a few times as she considered that offer. After a moment of thinking over it, she gave a nod and let him tug her back up to her feet. "Sure! It sounds like a lot of fun, Reo."

* * *

They darted in and out of several different stores as they explored the streets. As they walked, the conversation between them once again returned to her, much to her displeasure, as he asked her an abundance of questions.

Most of them were lighthearted and simple prying ones she could brush off or answer with ease. At one point he asked if she had a crush on anyone, only to pout when she clammed up because of it.

"You can tell me," he said, "I just want to know if there's someone you have your eye on."

"I don't see how that matters any," she muttered, turning her gaze away from him with a huff.

"So, is that a yes?" he asked in a sing-song voice, perking up and eyeing her closer, and she rolled her eyes in response.

"It's a no," she said. "A big no," she added on.

Reo sighed. "I can't help but feel like you're lying to me, Kawaii-chan," he said with a shake of his head. "I'll let it drop, for now."

* * *

As much as she loved her cousin, she was relieved that his visit was nothing more than a short day-trip. He left the following afternoon, leaving her with an open invitation to come see him whenever she had the time to do so.

Kagome sat, ankles crossed under the cafe table as she waited for a familiar figure to show up. He was uncharacteristically late, but she knew he'd never admit to being so.

The parfait she ordered for herself was already halfway gone before the seat opposite of her finally became occupied.

"You're early for once," Sesshoumaru commented not long after taking his seat.

"What took you so long?" she asked. "Usually you're always here before I am."

"A last few preparations for the school year distracted me," he answered her question nonchalantly. "Time got away from me, I suppose."

Silence built up around them. Sesshoumaru could sense that something was occupying her mind, and he waited patiently for her to make the first comment. Whether or not that comment was related to what was on her mind wasn't a concern of his.

After a few minutes, he heard her intake of breath.

"I've given what you said yesterday some consideration."

"Oh." Sesshoumaru looked up and focused his stare on her at those words, one perfect eyebrow arching upwards a bit. "Have you come to a decision?"

Kagome remained silent for a few seconds as she collected her own thoughts on the matter. She eventually nodded and watched as Sesshoumaru tilted his head in her direction, quietly encouraging her to speak up about her decision.

"I think you're right about stepping out of my comfort zone, but I don't think it would be a good idea to suddenly join a club revolving around something I might end up sucking at." She bit her lower lip before finding her next words. "I thought I was fully okay with joining archery, but I don't think I am anymore," she admitted, her voice going soft. "It's something I had no other option than to pick up, given my situation then. If I'm being honest, I never liked it. I was just good at it because I wanted to live and not be a constant burden to the others. I wanted to be able to do something to help fight."

"But now you see it as something that makes you a mirror to the dead miko."

Though she didn't say it out loud, he seemed to have picked it up. Her smile faded some as she nodded. "It's one of those things that ties me to her. I don't want to strive for something that I don't enjoy. I don't want to become even more like her. I don't hate Kikyo- I could never hate her, but I don't want to be her. I want to be me."

She buried her face in her hands, her elbows resting on the tabletop. "I spent so much time trying to drill it into Inuyasha's head that I'm not her. I wasted too much energy on it to just fall into her place."

"So what will you do?"

"I want to pursue something different, something that I love," Kagome said, her voice firm. "I'm so much more than shooting arrows and cooking, and it's time I embrace it."

As she fell silent, Sesshoumaru let her words sink in for consideration. Silence fell back over the pair, sticking around for a few seconds before he finally broke it. "You never cease to surprise me," he admitted. "You are capable of many things. It's about time you start giving yourself more credit, and it's about time you drew the line between you and the dead miko."

Kagome was a little stunned by his words, but a soft smile found its way to her face.

Sesshoumaru could be cold and merciless, but there was also a nicer side to him. It was a rarity that somehow got exposed to her. Who knows, maybe dealing with human teenagers had softened him up some?

"Thank you…"

* * *

After her meeting with Sesshoumaru, Kagome took to wandering around town to kill time. She had no other plans, and some hours later she was making her way down a familiar path as she headed back home.

She was passing by the streetball court when she spotted someone playing basketball on their own. It wasn't any of the three from before.

He threw the ball and it bounced back off of the rim, sailing through the air and in her direction. She lifted her hands to keep the ball from hitting her in the head, and she caught it easily.

She didn't know who this person was, having never seen him around before. She glanced at the ball in her hands before casually walking onto the court and towards him. He held his arms out for her to throw him the ball, but she decided against doing so. Instead, she set her backpack out of the way and looked at him with a sly grin on her face.

"How about playing against me instead of on your own?" Kagome asked him, watching as his confused expression melted away. "Of course, if you're up to it."

"Heh." His expression changed a bit as she closed the distance between them, and he nodded. "You sure you want to?"

Kagome rose an eyebrow his question before nodding. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure," she said, her tone trailing over to annoyance. "My name is Kagome. What about you?" Her eyes focused on his expression, feeling as though there was more to him than what meets the eye. It was a feeling she couldn't shake.

"Kagami," he responded, once again holding his hands out for her to throw him the ball. This time she relented and tossed him it from where she stood.

"You have a unique look, Kagami-san," she said as she stretched her arms high above her head, popping her joints as she did so. Her arms went back to her side after a minute of her stretching them. His hair and eyes were both a vibrant shade of red, and his height greatly surpassed her own.

"I could say the same about you," he responded as he waited for her to get ready. "You even know how to play?"

Kagome shrugged and turned her gaze over to the net. "I know the basics. You run and try to get the ball into the net, correct?" She was well educated in the sport of basketball due to her days of playing with her classmates at Teiko, so she knew her answer was over-simplified, but she couldn't resist the urge to rile him up some. His expression told her just how annoyed her innocent sounding words had made him.

"There is a lot more to it than that!"

"I know," Kagome said with a smile and she approached him. She was now ready to start the game. "First to ten wins?"

Kagami nodded, "sounds good to me." He stared the small girl down, and, once she was ready, he tossed the ball up in the air. He easily reached it first, and the ball was his. Not giving her the chance to even blink, he broke away from where they stood, heading towards the net with the intention of claiming his first point.

He felt a brush of air pass him, and she was suddenly in front of him. Kagami narrowed his eyes and jumped, releasing the ball before she had the chance to reach for it.

Kagome jumped soon after he did, a collected smile claiming her lips when her fingers brushed against the bottom side of the ball, and she knocked it off its intended course. While she was too short to successfully block his shot, she did have the ability to keep it from going in the net. Her feet landed back on the ground as Kagami looked at her with a muddled expression. In return, she looked up at him with a chipper smile.

"I used to play with friends in middle school," was all she said.

Kagami's eyebrow twitched at spotting her wide smile before he watched as her expression twisted into a cold and blank stare.

"I suggest you up your game, Kagami-kun," Kagome told him as she went to retrieve the ball resting against the chain fence.

"Tch… fine." Kagami growled, "you're going down then."

Kagome froze in her place and laughed under her breath. "Oh, am I?" There wasn't much time before the game began once more, the ball in Kagome's hands, and she broke away from him.

Kagami was impressed at the speed she had as he ran to keep up with her. He smirked and decided that this might be fun after all.

The game continued on for the next half hour, Kagami eventually winning with a two-point lead. While she had lost, she had given him a fight he hadn't expected to come from her, and he threw the ball towards her once scoring his winning point. Kagome caught it without trouble and dribbled it as Kagami walked over towards her.

"Not bad," he said, and Kagome looked up at him.

"Eh, you're pretty decent yourself," she responded as she checked the time on her phone. It was getting later into the evening. "I gotta go," she said, slipping her phone in her pocket. "Maybe I'll see you around."

He nodded, watching in silent confusion as she gripped the ball with both hands. He saw as her eyes narrowed a fraction, and she posed her body to shoot the ball towards the net. Before a word could leave his mouth, the ball went sailing through the air and it went through the net, leaving him speechless for a second.

"See you around," Kagome called out over her shoulder as she picked her backpack back up, slinging it over her shoulders without a second thought. "Thanks for the game, Kagami-kun!"

"Hey wait!" Kagami shouted for her to stop, but she didn't. She had already crossed the street and was disappearing from his line of sight. He stood in his place before turning his head to look at the net, the ball resting against the fence behind the pole. He was left wondering how she had managed to make the shot from the entrance of the court.

* * *

Kagome ignored his shout for her to stop and skipped across the road to get to the other end of the crosswalk. She knew why he wanted her to stop, but she wasn't interested in anything he had to say anymore. He would ask her how she had made the shot, and she didn't feel like wasting any more time there.

She felt a little giddy as she dashed off, unable to keep the grin off her face as she made her way back home.

It had been so long since she played a game of basketball, and she missed it- a lot. She missed the days she'd play with her friends.

She never realized just how much she enjoyed the sport, either.

She arrived back at the shrine and came to a stop at the base of the steps. A part of her hoped to see Kagami again, and soon. There was something about him that struck her as off, but in a way that was good. He was intriguing to her, and that in itself called for something rare.

A joyful hum came from her as she bounded up the steps.

* * *

C.R: Got it finished up! Hope it was good!

Kagome's met and played a little one-on-one against Kagami. She's interested in him.

In the next chapter, she'll run into a few familiar faces, too~

I hope you all enjoyed, and thank you for reading! Hopefully, I caught all the errors before posting, but, if not, apologies.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~


	4. Chapter 4

**_Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court._**

_Pairing: Undecided_

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**Notice**:

Revamped version of Gingerly Guessing. There will be changes- both big and small- to the text.

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Early in the morning a buzzing alarm rang through her pink-decorated room. The raven haired teen sat up sluggishly, blinking sleepy blue eyes as she gathered her bearings. She turned her alarm off, accidentally shaking off the chunky calico cat that had been sleeping on her stomach in the process. He landed sprawled out beside her and resumed his napping, not bothered in the slightest by his change of position.

Kagome sat still for a few moments as she woke up completely. After a while, she slid out of her warm bed and went about her morning routine.

She brushed her hair and teeth and got dressed in her new uniform, taking a few extra minutes to give herself a once-over in the mirror to make sure she looked alright.

When she was satisfied with her appearance, she bounded downstairs with her schoolbag in hand.

Today marked the first day of her high-school career. She soothed any nerves she had with the realization that, no matter what this year brought upon her shoulders, nothing could ever be worse that the utter hell that had unfolded during her middle-school life.

In some sad sort of way, that was an oddly comforting thought in her mind.

She entered the kitchen, and at once she saw her mother picking over Souta's uniform and hair in a motherly fashion. Whenever she smoothed his hair down, he'd only mess it up even more. Kagome smiled and stepped in to save him from their mother's nitpicking.

"He looks fine, Mama," Kagome said as she grabbed an orange from a fruit bowl. She peeled it and plucked a piece from the fruit to eat. "If you keep doing that we'll be late on the first day."

Her mother huffed, puffing out her cheeks at her daughter's words, before relenting and releasing her son from her grip. "Fine," she said as she walked with the two towards the door. "Be home by seven, please."

The two nodded before departing from the shrine, heading down the concrete steps as they conversed with each other.

"What are the teachers like?" Souta asked his older sister for the third time. He couldn't hide his nervous expression from Kagome, and, instead of looking towards her, he kept his stare pointed at his feet.

Kagome shrugged, a smile flashing onto her face to provide him with some comfort. "They're teachers. Some are strict, some are lenient. You shouldn't be nervous, Souta. Teiko is a good school."

"Promise?"

Kagome nodded before reaching to ruffle his hair, only to stop when he let out a plea fueled by embarrassment at her actions, his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears going bright pink. "Yeah. You'll do fine there. Pick something you like and run with it." They had reached the gates to his school, and come to a stop. She looked him over before leaning forward to fix his slightly crooked tie. Once she had done so, she stepped back. "Do you want me to come get you after classes let out, or are you going with friends?"

"With friends," Souta responded, and Kagome nodded.

"Alright, just be careful and don't wander into traffic."

"You sound like mom."

Kagome glared at him before snorting in laughter, and Souta joined in seconds after. She waved her brother off and stood in silence for a moment. She let her eyes trail over the large area of the school yard before her gaze focused on the building that stood before her. Just seeing it brought back memories that were both pleasant and not so enjoyable. A frown tugged at her expression in to a morose one.

She had never taken the time to notice just how large the area of the school was, and just how many people actually attended the school. Her last year there had been spent ducking in and out of the past as she barely managed to go to any classes. Her last year there had been full of her three girl friends telling her to dump her "two-timing jerk of a boyfriend" even after she had practically spelled it out for them that there was no relationship between Inuyasha and herself. Her last year there had been a jumble of mess, one that she knew made absolutely no sense whatsoever. She could recall clear as day every time she had struggled to make up her countless absences to her friends by helping them in any way she could. All the way from helping the cooking club prepare new dishes, all the way to passing out the flyers for upcoming theater productions. Her final year in middle school had been unnecessarily complex as she attempted to balance being a helpful figure at school and being a fighter in the past. Yet, even through that struggle she had failed. Several very important relationships to her had died, and it impacted her heavily. Even with all she did, she was just one person. There had been no way she could spread herself even more thin, but she still felt guilty.

She sighed and shook her head. It wasn't logical for her to think of such things- especially now of all times. Kagome dug her phone from her pocket and glanced at the time on it.

Dwelling on the past would make her late if she continued to do so.

* * *

Kagome arrived at school as others were still filing through the brightly polished gates. Relieved that she hadn't run late, she scurried along to join the mass of students.

Club leaders were already on the prowl for new members, and she carefully avoided every one of them that she saw so she wouldn't get swept up in the jamming cliques of people.

By some miracle, she managed to scrape by unacknowledged, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

While she had a small inkling as to what club she wanted to join, she had yet to fully commit to the idea. She wanted a little longer to consider her options before deciding, just in case she happened upon one that stole her focus.

She squeezed herself between two large boys as soon as she saw an opening to get out of the herd of students. Her hands smoothed out the tousled fabric of her black skirt back down to how it ought to be. The excited chatter and squeals around her of friends reuniting after their break filled her ears, and she tuned the noise out as she kept forward. After some effort, she had managed to completely break away from the crowd and she came to a standstill underneath a large tree. The shadow cast over her figure, and it took away the faint blue tint of her hair, turning it back to an inky shade of black. Kagome huffed as she pulled her bag from her shoulder and set it to the ground, and she knelt forward as she began to dig through it in search of something.

Slim fingers curled around a green hair tie, and she pulled it from the depths of her bag. Kagome stood back up to her full height and tugged the long locks over her shoulder to pin them down in a semi-neat hold. The back of her neck was left exposed as her hair fell over her right shoulder. She pulled the tie tight to ensure it would not fall out before patting at her head to make sure there were no bumps in her hair. Once she was positive it looked alright, Kagome tugged the bag back over her shoulder. She planned to head into the building now, but she came to a surprised halt at hearing a loud voice call her name.

"Kago-chan!"

Kagome turned to look in the direction the shout had come from, and she felt her surprise grow at spotting the pink haired girl running towards her while failing her arms about in the air. She only had a second to process this before the soft form of Satsuki collided with her and nearly knocked her to the ground. The pinkette held her arm captive in a sturdy grip, squeezing it against her chest.

"Satsuki-chan!" Kagome felt her surprise swiftly melt away as she happily hugged her back. Seeing a familiar face left her with such a pleasant feeling, and it showed on her face. "No way!"

"I had no idea you were going here," Satsuki commented as the two began walking in step with one another. "Are you sure you're well enough to be attending classes?"

Kagome shook her words off and smiled in her direction. "I'm just fine, Sa-chan," she responded with a calm voice. "I feel better than ever, to be honest. As for why I'm here…" Kagome trailed off before forcing a laugh. "I guess I just liked the school!" Her eyes landed on the figure of Sesshoumaru standing on the top step of the school, and she fought back her snicker of amusement. He certainly did make for a… different teaching figure, and she already knew several of her classmates would be drooling over him.

"I'm glad you're okay now," Satsuki said. "Hopefully you won't be gone as often now."

Kagome looked back over towards the pink haired girl and saw that she seemed to be looking for someone else. Curious, she rose a brow and nudged the pink haired girl with her elbow. "Who are you looking around for?"

"Eh?" Satsuki turned back from her searching the crowd to face Kagome, and she shook her head to dismiss her search. "Aomine-kun," she said. Her tone had an edge of annoyance laced into it as she muttered the name. Kagome's mouth opened and closed as she recalled the boy she had mentioned.

"Aomine chose to go here, too?" She remembered him from their middle school days. Of course, once her absences began to take over, her time spent with her friends had decreased. She saw as Satsuki nodded, and she found herself going a bit quiet. He had helped her learn how to play the sport of basketball in full the year before she had been pulled down the well. During their last year in middle school she didn't have the chance to see him as much as she would have liked. She shook the thought from her head as the two finally made it into the school building where they soon had to part to go do different things. Once they had made an agreement to meet up during lunch, Kagome and Satsuki parted and went in different directions.

* * *

Kagome found that class drug on slow even with Sesshoumaru as the teacher. Although, his remarks to specific things made it both enjoyable and entertaining, as well as a bit more fun to sit through. Behind her she could hear as some of the girls giggled to one another about how handsome he was, and she had to bite back her laughter.

She knew it'd be a treat to be in his class, but this was almost too good. He seemed to have made a name for himself as one of the handsome members of the school's faculty.

The bell sounded out over head, signalling that their morning break had come around. Almost instantly a few of the girls in the class flocked around Sesshoumaru's desk to ask him never ending questions. Kagome squeezed past the crowd of females, fighting hard to hide just how much of a kick she got out of the whole thing, and pushed herself out of the doorway into the hall. She looked around for a moment before deciding in which direction she wanted to go.

The loud clang of the door slammed behind her as she stepped out onto the school's roof in search of some peace and quiet. As she looked around the open area, spotting no one else up there, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief that her idea hadn't fallen flat.

She looked around, eyes landing on a ladder leading up to an upper area to the roof, and she made her way over to it. Her hands wrapped around the metal bars as she pulled herself up them. After making it to the top Kagome breathed deep and closed her eyes, stretching high into the air as she did so. Without even opening her eyes again, Kagome made her way across the raised area of the roof until her foot snagged on something and her body tipped forward.

"Ah!" Kagome let out a surprised yelp as she fell forward. She threw her hands out in a failed attempt at catching herself as she landed on the ground. She winced as a sharp stinging began on her hands. Small splotches of red stained the bleak white ground, and she pushed herself up a bit. There was a slight bit of weight pressed to the back of her bare thighs, and Kagome realized then that her legs had not connected with the ground like the rest of her had. She could distinctly feel the pressure of a hand against the back of her legs, and she quickly pushed herself up. She almost lost her footing a second time in her rush, but, before she could fall a second time, a hand wrapped around the back of her uniform jacket to help steady her.

She could feel the warm hue that had taken over her face as she refused to turn and greet the figure she had tripped over and landed on. Her hands her clenched tight in her embarrassment, the feeling only growing with a distinctly masculine voice filled the air.

"Cute panties."

Kagome felt her mouth go dry at the comment and shock fill her to the brim.

"Were those strawberries or hearts on them?"

Fed up at that point, Kagome whirled around and smacked the person across the side of his face. It was bad enough that she had accidently ended up with her skirt flipped upwards, but having him comment on it only made it _so _much worse. He could have asked if she was okay, but _no _he had decided on doing the exact opposite instead.

"Shut up you pervert!" Kagome hissed as she took a step back from him. She knew her face was a vibrant red due to her annoyance and embarrassment, but she didn't care. She finally got a good look at him, and she felt her mouth go dry at spotting the familiar face. "_Aomine_!?"

He seemed to be a bit surprised at the sight of her also, and the two stared at each other in a stunned silence for a long moment.

"Kagome?" His own tone told her just how shocked he was at seeing her. When Satsuki told him about Kagome being there, he wouldn't lie- he hadn't fully been listening to her. He hadn't expected running into his old friend, especially so soon, but here she was standing five feet away from him. He looked her up and down a few times as he took the chance to appreciate just how much she had grown since the last time he had been so close to her. She looked as good as ever, and her body had filled out to an almost mesmerizing shape. Her breasts had grown a bit more while, at the same time, her once plush body had slimmed down to a more mature shape. Wide hips and slender legs were accented nicely by the uniform.

"Oi!" Kagome snapped in irritation to get his attention back onto her face. It took a second after her outburst but he eventually caught her stare. "You done ogling my body?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered with a smirk. He took a few steps towards her so that they were now standing next to one another, and he slung an arm around her shoulders to tug her towards him. Once she was against him, he leaned his head down so that his lips were next to her ear. "Never thought you would be one to wear cute panties. Seriously though, were they hearts or strawberries?"

Kagome growled, the sound being a very apparent warning, and she swung a second time at Aomine. This time she hit him in the chest and made him step away from her. "That is none of your concern," she huffed and crossed her arms as she fought off the returning blush. She sat down on on the ground, and Aomine eventually followed suit.

"Where have you been?"

"Eh?" Kagome turned towards him at the question. "What do you mean?"

Aomine fell to lay on his back. One of his arms stretched out across her lap. She jolted some at the abrupt contact, but she didn't try to move it. "You haven't been around since middle school ended. You been alright?"

She realized then that he was asking if another one of her faked illnesses had come back- granted he didn't know that they were fake. Kagome smiled and nodded. "I'm doing just fine, Dai-kun." Kagome turned her head upwards to stare at the sky clear sky overhead. "I've been feeling increasingly better. I think that the worst of it is over, and that I'll be just fine from here on out."

"Good," he responded, but he didn't say much more.

Kagome looked back down at him before rolling her eyes and prodding his cheek with one of her fingers. She pressed the tip of her finger against his cheek until he grew annoyed and snatched her by her hand to make her stop.

"Knock it off!"

"What if I don't wanna?" Kagome questioned, a childish grin spreading across her face at seeing him a little riled up. Right after saying those words, she let her other hand resume the prodding. "If you get to throw your arm across my lap then I get to poke your face," she commented as calm as ever. She hinted to him that she would stop only if he removed his arm from where it rested across her bare legs. Aomine looked up at her with a glare but didn't move his arm, and instead sat there as she poked his face.

* * *

C.R: New update for this!

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not, apologies.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~


	5. Chapter 5

**_Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court._**

_Pairing: Undecided_

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**Notice**:  
Revamped version of Gingerly Guessing. There will be changes- both big and small- to the text.

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

As they had decided to earlier that day, Kagome and Satsuki found each other and sat together during their lunch break. It was noon already, and she was thankful for the break. As funny as it was being in his class, the way other girls would gossip about Sesshoumaru when they _thought_ he couldn't hear was enough to give her second-hand embarrassment. Don't get her wrong, it was still really funny, but there's got to be a point where enough's enough.

Maybe her slightly dispirited mood also had to do with the fact she hadn't been able to find Aomine during her lunch break? She had been hoping to run into him and pull him to eat with her and their pinkette friend, but no such luck for her. A part of her worried he might not want to be around her so much, and that left her mood slightly soured.

At the thought of Aomine, she couldn't ignore the fact that he suddenly seemed so different from what she had known him to be. She had to remind herself that the last conversation she had with him was so long ago- of course, he'd be different. She couldn't really act surprised by that.

And if he didn't want to hang around her for whatever reason, it wasn't like she could fault or even blame him for that decision. After all, it had been her who had torn up their friendship so much. She had been the one o break the jewel and kickstart running around in the past. She understood that putting it back together was her responsibility, but she also thought that she should have put in more effort into keeping friendships alive. Maybe she hadn't been the best kind of friend she could have been?

The schoolday's end came much faster than she expected. The bell rang overhead, signaling the end of class, but she didn't even budge. Gold eyes landed on her, watching her curiously for a moment or two before walking over slowly.

Her book was slammed shut, and she finally jolted in response. Startled blue eyes met amused gold as Sesshoumaru sat down in the now-empty desk next to her own.

"Something about your posture and expression tells me you are troubled, Miko." His voice was lazy and low, and it almost sounded forced to her. It was as if he was trying to make it as if he didn't really care, yet his gaze told a different tale to her. The amusement had faded from them, and they suddenly looked all too serious.

A small smile lined her lips as she looked away.

"Just thinking about some things that aren't so important anymore," she responded after a few seconds had passed by. "Ran into some friends from middle school today, and now I guess I'm feeling a bit guilty."

"Guilty?" Sesshoumaru questioned as he stood back up now that he had her attention once more. He made his way to the front of the classroom and picked an eraser up, wiping the board down with it. "Over what?"

Kagome eyed her intertwined fingers that rested on her desk, and she quickly began to put her things back up into her bag while he handled his own task. She gripped the straps of her bag tight, her knuckles turning white before she let her grip fall slack. "I just got to thinking about how things used to be, and how they're so different now. I can't really blame anyone other than myself for that. I made a mistake in shattering the jewel, and I let the ties kinda sever without meaning to." She sighed, "that and they still worry I might end up sick again…"

It was quiet on his end as he let her vent to him, and when he heard her forced laugh, he glanced back at her. An obviously fake smile was on her face as she turned and made her way to the door. "See you tomorrow, nii-chan," she said as she exited the room and left him there on his own.

Sesshoumaru glared at her departing back but didn't say anything to hold her back. Even if he had there was nothing to guarantee she would hover back any longer than she had. The cold look melted from his face as he let his eyes swap back over to the seat she had previously occupied. He stood in the silence around him for a long while, just blankly staring off into the space in front of him, before he turned on his heel and left the room as his students had.

* * *

There wasn't anyone home by the time she had arrived back at the shrine, but it didn't surprise her. Her mother must have gone shopping, and she most likely had drug her grandfather off to go with her. Kagome walked into the kitchen only to spot a note resting on the fridge door, and, upon reading it, her suspicions had been confirmed. She smiled and hummed under her breath as she took a bottle of water from the middle shelf of the fridge before walking back into the den to sit on the couch.

Souta would be back within the next hour, or so she was predicting. Knowing her brother, he would have gone to the park with some of his friends to play soccer.

As she sat there Kagome could hear the ticking of the clock residing on the wall on the other side of the room. Its steady pace rang in her ears. She just sat there for a long while as she focused on nothing in particular until she was startled out of her daze by the message tone of her phone. She shook her head and held her phone up to her face to read the message.

"_Meetup next Sunday at the movie theater?"_

It had been sent by Eri, and she assumed Yuka and Ayumi had gotten similar messages from the chipper girl. Kagome smiled and responded quickly.

"_Sure! Noon sound good? We can go get some lunch."_

It didn't take long for her to receive another message from the girl. This one confirmed the time to be ideal. Once the day was arranged Kagome let her phone fall next to her on the couch. She ran her fingers through her hair before rocking her body up from her sitting position. She contemplated going upstairs, but the opening of the front door caused her to stop. The sound of her mother arguing with her grandfather made her giggle, and she went to help with the grocery bags.

"I'll cook tonight," she said as she put up the items that needed to be chilled, and she saw as her mother focused her eyes on her.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked, and she reached to set her palm to her cheek.

Kagome nodded and turned back to put away a few more of the things she held. "I'm fine, but I just want to cook tonight." She ignored her mother's prying gaze as to why she was acting as she was, but her mother eventually relented and agreed to her cooking dinner for the night.

* * *

Nearly a full week had come and gone before she even realized it. She would run into Satsuki and Aomine once or twice a day, occasionally eating lunch with the girl when they had the time to make the plans.

Kagome made her way through the school gates and squeezed her body through people blocking the way in front of her. For the most part, the people who once had been shoving clipboards and pens into people's faces had calmed down. By now, if you wanted to join a specific club, you would have to go find the head of it. She was slightly relieved for the lack of items being shoved towards her, and she made the decision to head into the school building.

Before she got near the entrance an arm was slung across her shoulder, and she was pulled against a toned chest.

Her eyes trailed up and she saw Aomine looking forward with a slight glare adorning his tanned features. He focused the mean-looking glare at anyone who looked at them for more than two seconds. Ignoring the temptation to shove him away she huffed and fell into step the best she could with him. His legs were longer than her own, and it wasn't an easy thing to do.

"What are you doing?" Kagome finally asked him as she swatted at his hand with her own.

Aomine didn't respond to her question, adding to her not-so-hidden irritation, and continued to pull her along under his arm. She eventually got annoyed at the silence, and, before he could react, she had squeezed herself out from his grasp. He made it a few more steps before he registered the lack of her under his arm, and turned to face where she stood.

Kagome stood as she smoothed out the sleeves of her uniform. Once done she looked back up and caught Aomine's stare.

"What the hell?" He asked her.

"What do you mean?" Kagome snapped back at him. "Don't just come up at random and pull me along with you without telling me what you need me for."

"I don't _need_ you for anything," Aomine said, "I grabbed you because I _wanted_ you to come with me."

"What for?"

"Nothing." He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged, "just come on."

Kagome closed her eyes and breathed deep. "... _Fine._"

* * *

They had ended up on the school's roof, just talking about little things that weren't important to either one of them before Kagome realized class would be starting soon. She shoved Aomine to his class, even after he had told her he didn't want to go, before heading back to her own.

She made it to her own class a minute before it started, and, as she sat in her seat, she didn't exactly pay that much attention to what Sesshoumaru was saying. She could tell he knew of her lack of listening considering just how many times he had walked by her to flick the back of her head subtly, but it didn't do much to keep her attention on his words.

It was obvious how different Aomine was, and the more time she spent with him only caused it to become that much more apparent to her. It worried her, but she didn't want to just bring it up out of the blue. While in middle school, he would spend almost all of his free time playing basketball, but now it seemed he didn't go near it much. He had said he was in the basketball club, but that was all he had said on the matter of the sport. It bothered her to see him that way. It made her feel sad at seeing the man who had managed to teach her- someone who was awful from the start- how to play seem so bummed about it all.

A frown weighed down her features as the thoughts grew heavier. Their morning break rolled around, but Kagome didn't budge from her seat. Instead, she listened to the giggling school girls who had surrounded Sesshoumaru. She picked her head up to look towards the area, and she almost felt a bit bad for the old demon. He couldn't be more obvious in his lack of interest at their meaningless questions, and it truly looked like his irritation was mounting to extreme levels. But this was Sesshoumaru. He had an amazing amount of patience, considering how he used to travel around with Rin, even if he had about as much personality as a sack of rocks and splinters.

She tuned out the noisy chatter and let her thoughts stray back to her prior source of worry. She made the choice then to ask Satsuki about it, seeing as the girl had been Aomine's friend since childhood. The chances she would know why he was now so different was high, and she quickly stood up to go in search of the girl.

It didn't take her long to find the pink-haired girl. She was storming across the school grounds searching for someone, and Kagome could take a wild guess as to who she was looking for.

"Satsuki-chan!" Kagome gave a shout and waved her over. "Can I ask you something?"

Satsuki blinked but nodded as she came to a halt in front of Kagome. "What is it, Kagome-chan?"

"I wanted to ask you about Dai-kun," Kagome said, hoping that the girl would be able to provide her some answers. She saw a flash of irritation run across her face at hearing the name.

"Have you seen him?" Satsuki asked her before Kagome could say anything else. "The team needs him, but no one's seen him."

Kagome shook her head, "I haven't seen him since before class." Satsuki huffed and muttered to herself about Aomine, but, before she could run off, Kagome reached out to take her by her hand. "Could you answer something for me about Dai-kun?"

Satsuki nodded as she focused her attention on Kagome. "What is it?"

Kagome asked her carefully phrased question as best she could, hoping that Satsuki would understand what she meant by it. Luck would have it that she did, and she sent the other girl a sympathetic smile as she went into an explanation as to why Aomine was as he was now.

Once Satsuki had ended her explanation Kagome thanked her for sharing. Before the pink-haired girl could rush off in search of him, Kagome turned to grab her wrist.

"Try the roof," she told her. "I've seen him up there every now and again."

Satsuki left after giving Kagome a thankful hug, leaving the dark-haired girl standing alone. The words Satsuki had said sunk in, and it made her feel bad. She had said that since he no longer had a challenge in it, he didn't try as hard, and, instead, barely ever bothered to show up to practices. He didn't see the point in them anymore since he was already better than anyone he would end up facing.

Thinking on these words, Kagome was struck with a feeling she couldn't knock away, and she let it take over her thinking.

She would help Aomine in this situation. He had helped her learn the sport in the first place, even encouraging her to keep at it when she had blatantly said she was awful at it. It didn't sit right with her to leave him alone when he felt this way.

Her mind had been made up. She would do all that she could to help him. However, how she would do that… She had no clue.

* * *

It had only been a day since she had made up her mind on helping Aomine- even if he didn't know she would be helping. She often found that people would deny any and all help if they knew about it, so she would keep her decision to herself until she saw it fit to so much as mention it.

Having her decision made up was one thing, however. She still had no idea she would go through with it all. Kagome swapped her attention to the side to stare up at the blue sky outside the classroom window.

She ignored the chattering girls that seemed to flock around Sesshoumaru as she waited for him to shoo them away. As they hung around the door, waiting to see if he would change his mind about telling them to leave, Kagome had to bite down on her lower lip to keep her laughs from slipping free. The poor things didn't even try to act like they were hiding their crushes on him.

"Geeze," Kagome said as she finally approached his desk in the front of the room, "your fanclub is both funny and frightening."

"It's hardly a new thing," Sesshoumaru responded as he flipped through papers he had gathered before class had ended. "There has been more added on in the few years I've been here." He didn't seem all too bothered by this, and he only shrugged after those words left his mouth. "It's hardly troublesome once getting used to it."

Kagome rolled her eyes at his words. "Typical you behavior." She didn't really see how someone could get used to having any size of a fanclub. It amazed her how they even happened. Then again, like minds will always group with one another- no matter what it was they liked.

"You haven't joined a club yet?"

At his question, Kagome puffed out her cheeks. "I've been busy worrying about other things, I'll have you know. Finding a club hasn't been at the top of my concerns."

Sesshoumaru focused molten eyes on her at her response. One of his eyebrows rose in obvious intrigue, and he nodded to encourage her to continue.

"And anyway, I still have some time before it starts getting too late to pick a club that I can get involved with." Kagome attempted to ignore his unblinking gaze leveled on her pouting face, and she finally relented and let her current focus flow from her tongue. Once finished, she folded her arms across her chest and turned her face away from her inhuman teacher. What she wanted to do wasn't something Sesshoumaru was likely to connect with. He might have changed over the years, but not that much.

"I have high doubt that you wish to have my feedback on this," Sesshoumaru began as he sat down in his chair, letting his eyes roam over one of the papers he held, making little marks on it as he did so, "but I will give it to you anyway."

"Of course you will," Kagome grumbled under her breath, and he smirked in return.

"After all, I have an idea that might fix both of our concerns." He pointed for her to sit down, and, once she had sunk down in a stray desk, he continued. "Your friend- Aomine, was it? He is in the basketball club, correct?" At her nod, Sesshoumaru lowered the red ink pen he held and clasped his hands together. "The answer to this situation is simple. You want to help him enjoy the sport like he once did, so why not just join the basketball club? Surely there are ways you can help his enjoyment grow from within the club, and you can be sure he does what he needs to opposed to running off and having to have people sniff him out."

Kagome looked at him in confusion. "Join the basketball club? I didn't think I could outside of offering help."

"A club cannot exclude females from joining unless there is already a separate one for them. Toou currently doesn't have a women's basketball team." Sesshoumaru said, "and anyway, it's not like you're completely hopeless at the game. Quite the opposite. You have quite a bit of skill due to your trips to the past. You have decent stamina and your shooting has improved. Add that to your ability to read the auras of those surrounding you, and you have beneficial stats to a team."

She had to stare at him in silence for a few moments as the words he spoke sunk into her head.

Did he really think that her joining the basketball club was a good idea? After all, she was fairly decent at the sport even if she couldn't jump. Practice would improve her skills, and, if need be, she had more than enough time for practice now.

After thinking it over for a long while she pulled her phone out of her skirt pocket and typed a quick message in before jumping up out of the seat she sat in. "I need to go," was all she said as she dashed through the door.

Sesshomaru chucked. "Good talk, Miko."

* * *

"Here you go," Satsuki said as she handed Kagome the white sheet of paper. "Why did you need it?"

The item she haded over happened to be a slip for joining the basketball club

Kagome took it and looked over the words already written on it. "Why do you think? I'm going to join the basketball club."

"E-eh? You are?"

She peeked up from the paper she was looking over to catch warm pink eyes. Her stare was full of surprise and concern. There was a moment of semi-tense silence before Kagome nodded her confirmation. "I was talking to my teacher, and he proposed the idea to me, and I decided to follow through with it."

"Do you really think it's a good idea though?" Satsuki asked her. "I mean, last year was pretty bad for you, and you were out of school all the time because you were sick. You should take it easy for a year or so before rushing into something like this. It might not be good for your health."

Kagome could hear the concern in her friend's voice, and she felt bad at hearing her worry over something that had been a lie. The only thing that made her feel better was the fact that if the truth was known, then it would only cause twice as much concern. A warm smile worked its way onto her face as she reached to set her hands on Satsuki's shoulders. "I'm fine, Satsuki-chan," Kagome said, adding a playful wink to her smile. "On the contrary, I think something like this would be good for my health."

Before Satsuki could say anything else, Kagome gave her a quick wave as she dashed away with the paper in her hand. She would fill it out tonight, and return it tomorrow.

* * *

C.R: I hope you enjoyed the update for this! I didn't realize how long it had been. I'm working on updates for my other KnB/IY fic/s (as well as a few new ones that might get posted…)

Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting. Sorry if I missed some.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you! Bye for now!

Until next time~


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